Muslim Women's Beliefs About Menstruation in Turkey

This study aimed to determine health, nutrition, religious beliefs, hygiene, and beliefs concerning menstruation of women aged between 18 and 49 years. This research was conducted as a descriptive study in primary health centers in one province in eastern Turkey between 2017 and 2019. The study sample consisted of 742 women. In the research, a questionnaire form that included the sociodemographic characteristics of the women and their thoughts regarding beliefs about their menstrual period was used. The biggest myth about food preparation was that 22% of the women believed that they will spoil food if they are involved in the food canning process while menstruating. The greatest menstrual beliefs about religious belief were that 96.1% of the women felt that it was wrong to have sexual intercourse while menstruating. The biggest beliefs about social life were that 26.5% of the women felt that they cannot have blood drawn while menstruating. The biggest beliefs about cleanliness were 89.8% of the women stated that it was necessary to take a bath at the end of menstruation. Generally, of all menstrual beliefs, opening pickles was highest among all groups. Notably, the second cluster, with a low value for kneading dough and shaving the genital area, showed a better cluster structure.